I hope you will too.
On his YouTube page, the Marine in the video says this:
"I, David William Hedrick, a member of the silent majority, decided that I was not going to be silent anymore. So, I let U.S. Congressman Brian Baird have it. I was one questioner out of 38, that was called at random from an audience that started at 3,000 earlier in the evening. Not expecting to be called on, I quickly scratched what I wanted to say on a borrowed piece of paper and with a pen that I borrowed from someone else in the audience minutes before I spoke. So much for the planned talking points of the right wing conspiracy."
Hat Tip to Soloman
66 comments:
Love that Marine! Love the video! Never would've seen this one on the national news. Thanks!
I have watched this vid a number of times today. It makes me want to give the man a standing ovation. Semper Fidelis.
Wow.
I will post this as well with a h/t to you, and will send a link to friends and family, regardless of their party affiliation or political interests.
"Stay away from my kids" is the money line for me.
I spent more time fighting the "tiny-brained wipers" of the CT school system than anyone I know.
Not because of my sons' behavior, but the teachers'.
Good for him ... he articulated my thoughts very clearly.
He is a true Patriot!! And willing to stand up and defend his country against enemies including against the commies forcing this health care crap down our throats.
Thanks reposting this, for I have not seen it.
I am happy to see that we still have Americans willing to stand up be heard regardless of the consequences of it.
These political non-representing Representatives - on both sides of the isle - need to be warned. If you don't follow the Constitution you do it at your own peril.
I don't understand American opposition to socialized medicine. Even more puzzling is the resistance to a voluntary programme to extend some coverage to those left vulnerable by the insurance industry.
Don't Americans have government run schools? Don't Americans have a government run National Park system? Don't Americans have military forces run by the government. Don't Americans have government run ... fill in the blanks. Does this make the USA a "socialist paradise"? How come it's only health care that gets the good ol' boys out in force to protest? Could it be that they are dupes of the insurance industry? Sure looks that way to an impartial observer.
The misinformation and misrepresentation floating around in this debate just makes you guys look stupid - no offense - but really ...
We don't want it. You do.
BTW, the Dutch have universal coverage provided by private insurers. Imperfect, and subsidized, but still private.
Slightly less stupid than Americans?
Rhod - perhaps "stupid" was a poor choice of words - foolish is better maybe. I used the word in reference to the misinformation and misrepresentation floating around, not to the preferred method of coverage. It's up to Americans to choose their own system but to argue against something that isn't being proposed is perplexing.
Anyhow, why is it healthcare that gets your knickers in a twist while many other services provided by the government causes no concern?
Scun, the other govt services DO cause us concern. Our government is legendary for messing things up. We don't trust them with our health and lives.
We would be open to regs on insurance companies. But to scrap the system. Lunacy. And the proposals would indeed cause all insurance to go under eventually.
Wow. Semper Fi, baby.
Hey, I thought Nick was gone this weekend. He is posting like a mail man ...
Because, Scunner, the govt enterprises you mention don't call for a permanent (unless voluntary) reduction of the individual's relationship to The State. This isn't a trivial matter, but you don't seem to understand it, and that's fine.
My disagreements with you can't be resolved by the usual comparisons off efficiency/inefficiency metrics of socialized medicine against other forms - because they always end in abstractions about material welfare rather than human liberty.
We believe in both, and think that we can have both.
The House Plan has been published, read and understood, so there's little that can be misunderstood. Our President is either stupidly or intentionally defending the entirely unknown "Obama Plan" against objections to the House Plan. The misinformation in the air is emanating from our government, not us.
Finally, no one seems to understand us except the strange libertarian birds who still thrive in other countries. The rest of you think of us as primates.
Scummert,
Have you actually read any of the bill? If not, I recommend that you do. I have sifted through the bill and what Obama claims is simply not true. He is the one spreading disinformation and falsehoods regarding what is actually in H.R. 3200.
Such as: GENERAL.—The Commissioner
shall establish a grace period whereby, for plan
years beginning after the end of the 5-year period beginning with Y1, an employment-based health plan in operation as of the day before the first day of Y1 must meet the same requirements as apply to a qualified health benefits plan under section 101, including the essential benefit package requirement under section 121.
Which means after 5 years the government can and will decide which employer-based insurance via private insurance meets the government standards as to whether or not private insurance satisfies the governments standards. Therefore, at any time govt. can arbitrarily decide for no reason at all, that an insurance company no longer meets there requirements, even though the insurance may be in fact be a great plan for the employees. There is no person or agency to keep this govt program in check. Medicare and social security are examples of govt. programs that are going bankrupt but yet Democrats do not want to fix at all.
Susan, thanks for the visit. And, you're right... you won't see this on the MSM because it's simply a case of some neanderthal Marine racist venting against Obama's Fairness Machine.
Opie, I keep watching it too. It's so representative of the people I talk to daily. This guy speaks for more people than any politician.
Wahoo! I love the Democratic process when People stand up and shout down the deciets.
RIDE EM COWBOY!
Thanks, Sol. I'll also borrow some text from you.
Opus #6
"Our government is legendary for messing things up."
All human organizations are prone to error and incompetence - not to mention corruption. I'm sure there are horror stories about insurance companies "messing things up".
But surely the proposed reforms are about providing some coverage to folks who find themselves unable to get adequate health insurance? How can that be a bad thing?
Rhod, great line. Did you notice the pol withdrawing into his shell for safety?
John Q. Sixpack made his point well.
Woody, that guy spoke the sentiments of millions.
A marine that does not want poor to have medicine.
GGFS, there's plenty of him out there... silent no more.
Terri, I believe you're right. Change is in the air.
And hope!
Scalawag, I want them to be aware of the commotion of torches and pitchforks being gathered across this nation.
Scuuny,
The hard part for others to understand that this backlash is only secondarily about healthcare.
In the forefront is the Ultra-Left Democrats' massive Chicago-style power grab. The fact that this legislation was rushed to be passed UNREAD within a few hours made the nation collectively smell a rat.
Now, given the luxury of reading the House Bill, a veritable nest of rats has been uncovered.
Obama continues to lay down a sleazy smoke screen while arguing for the merits of HIS heathcare bill (a bill that is unwritten and has not been seen).
If a government is going to totally change the health care of millions of its citizens, it had better have the trust of those people. There is no trust. Only continued deception. Think Gordon Brown on steroids.
DC, imagine that! A Marine willing to speak his mind!
Rhod said...
"Because, Scunner, the govt enterprises you mention don't call for a permanent (unless voluntary) reduction of the individual's relationship to The State. This isn't a trivial matter, but you don't seem to understand it, and that's fine."
Must admit Rhod I am still struggling with the above. However, I am quite interested in the relationship between the state and the individual, the need for collective responses to social problems, and the desire to maximize one's individual freedom.
When acting collectively I favour solutions that are universal, i.e., ones that benefit all rather than a few. So limited, private, business responses to healthcare needs seems foolish to me as capital that could have been used to extend coverage is siphoned off as profit. I find that offensive. So I support government (people's) ownership of the product of our collective investments.
The good thing about government incompetence is you can vote the bastards out. When the incompetence is in your insurance company what can you do?
You can change insurance companies a lot more easily than you can change governments.
Teresa said...
"Scummert,
Have you actually read any of the bill?"
Must admit I haven't Teresa - my interest is purely voyeuristic and not in the least masochistic. You seem to view government standards as a conspiracy to end private insurance? See my problem is I don't trust government but trust multinational corporations even less.
See the guy in the vid was real proud to have served his country but implied the guy on stage was somehow a traitor for wanting to provide poor folks with some healthcare coverage. The only people that will benefit from scuppering this bill, as far as I can see, are multinational insurance companies, while the losers will be low paid American workers. How patriotic is that?
Nickie - my view is that Obama is just another right wing, front man for international capital - that's the job of the Pres after all - ain't it? The money that got Obama elected didn't come from the Socialist Worker's Party of America but from international corporations.
Look at Obama's cabinet to see whose interests are represented - it ain't the poor and downtrodden. The erosion of personal liberty in the US, ratcheted up under Bush, continues under Obama.
We are Change my arse.
Scunny,
I share your distrust of multinational corporations just as I distrust government. Large organizations foster large corruption. But if I accept the premise that corrupt corporations must be muzzled for this reason, I hand the reins of my life to corrupt government.
I trust nobody. And, I don't want to hand the entirety of my healthcare to government. While an insurance company will compete for my dollars, a government monopoly that has killed off the private option will have no reason to compete, even for votes.
PARAPHRASE: The government powerful enough to provide you with everything you want is powerful enough to take everything you have.
I get it Scunner. You're a utilitarian, which is a "kind of" ethical system which infiltrates all collective thinking. I wouldn't boast about it, but it does explain your incomprehension of my point about the individual and the state.
If it's of state origin, it benefits everyone, which by itself, is a specious argument. Outcome is the measuremeent, not the process.
As I said, I'm not going to argue with you about our differences.
I assume you're British. As far as I can tell, Bevan's ideas made sense in a very un-Merrie England and territories. Even Orwell's polemical Wigan Pier work shows how shabby, unjust and truly despicable the public situation was in your country, and might still be for all I know. Where you are now is linear, but that might not be enough upon which to recommend for others.
Your emigration rate (out, for people who don't know the difference)and your birth rate will probably show the practical consequences of distributing risk among fewer and fewer principle payers.
Again, no offense, but I don't care, anymore, what happens in Britain. Time works everything out.
Thanks for the exchange.
Tears to my eyes ! God bless you David...
adding to my Facebook today and h/t to you Zoomba!
Scunnert,
This marine has served and defended our country(USA) with honor. He expressed outrage at the way our Congress, whose job is to serve the people, is shoving this down our throats as quick as possible, saying the hell with their constituency- American People and our concerns, and what the American people want and need in the BILL. What the Democrats are proposing may well be a violation of our Constitution also-The Govt taking a complete takeover of the health care system.
What needs to happen is the costs related to health care need to be reduced and the insurance companies need to be reigned with more guidelines and limitations such as reducing amount out of pocket costs and deductibles, and no person should be denied coverage on the basis of pre-existing conditions.
As it stands today, all of the government programs that have been failing for years and are close to bankruptcy today, Democrats have resisted any type of reform proposed and will not reform these programs either. So, it is much harder than you think to get rid of a government program that's worthless.
Rhod - no you don't get it at all. I'm neither a utilitarian nor British, but a Scot ( those are the one's who sent al Megrahi home to Libya ) and an anarcho socialist.
My incomprehension of your point about the individual and the state is because I don't know what "a permanent (unless voluntary) reduction of the individual's relationship to The State" means. A permanent reduction in a relationship??? Whazat mean? They'll not be going on dates so often?
"Where you are now is linear ..." Man - this must be like some kinda secret language - are you a scientoligist?
Anyhoo - keep up the good fight.
Nemo me impune lacessit.
Teresa I'll take your word for it - well most of it.
When I hear that certain government services are bankrupt - inefficient - not fit foe purpose - I immediately want to know why it's being underfunded/mismanaged and which corporations are waiting to take it over. The UK government has been playing that game for some years now - much to the enrichment of their corporate buddies.
Scun, you worry about your own political system. Why are you bothering worrying about ours? What makes you think the poor of our country have no health care? You are in fact wrong if that is what you think. We have Medicare and Medicaid. And for those who fail to avail themselves of those services, all Emergency rooms are mandated by law to give them full services for FREE. FREE. Comprende?
So stop it with the moral relativism between business and government. They are not interchangeable. Laws and regs can be changed allowing more choice between plans. But the libs don't want that. They want a complete government takeover of 20% of our national economy. This is not about leaving the poor to rot in the streets. If that is the impression you have been given, you need to find other news sources.
Opus #6 - I mean no offense - just interested is all. I am aware that the US already spends a greater part of their GDP on socialized medicine than either the UK or Canada. As I understand your system those most at risk are low paid workers and folks with pre-existing conditions.
Is it true that people have been bankrupted, lost their life savings, lost their family home, lost everything, because of huge medical bills?
Scun, I believe the home is protected under bankruptcy laws, although I have never gone bankrupt. Also, consider that the docs and hospitals, in cases of large bills, have DONE WORK FOR FREE for MONTHS and YEARS and DON'T GET PAID when the bankruptcy court discharges the person's debt. Is that fair? Or maybe that person should have taken out insurance to cover themselves in case of sickness. That is what it is for. If they are destitute, then they are covered automatically under Medicaid.
Remember 85% of Americans are happy with their health care insurance and doctors. Why mess things up for them. If there are problems with a small percentage of the population, let's just address those issues. Maybe expand Medicaid eligibility if that is what is necessary. Why is that so hard to grasp.
Opus - I'll leave it up to Americans to decide what's right for them.
Slà inte mhath!
I am a fan of Scunnert's input. He truly is the sort of individual with whom discussions can be enlightening and spirited.
We'll disagree on many issues, but, if I were a Scot having to stomach the UK's absurd political traditions and corruption, I'd probably share much of his political philosophy.
I worship individualism, and I fear the State above all.
Nickie Goomba said...
"I am a fan of Scunnert's input."
Thanks Nickie - I'll be sure to comment again.
Slà inte mhor!
Keep it up Goomba....we are watching and we likey!
Okay, why do you people use the lame argument "Why do you care NOW?" that is making an assumption that we never cared before and this is an OBAMA thing. While we are shocked and threatened by the fast pace our freedoms are being snatched away from us by this new president, this is no new fight.
We were brewing over the original stimulus bill, angered over public school No Child Left Behind meddling (what a joke that bill is!) and hit boiling point with Cap and Trade....this fight is years in the making- and it's people simply want the rights we were endowed by not only our Creator, but the creators of this nation.
We are individuals. We work for our keep and earn our ways. We help each other out of goodness, not force. We are free to speak up and disagree.
This is not about stealing healthcare from the poor- it is about crippling the very men that productively turn the wheels of this economy. Socialism, historical, ends productivity.
And you thought the economy was bad now......
Duine mhath!
Ramsam, your observations are frighteningly accurate. The battle against government tyranny has just begun, and it's gonna be long and ugly. (No offense, DC!)
ramsam said...
"Socialism, historical(ly), ends productivity."
Capitalism, historically, transfers productivity offshore to the cheapest location - like China - a "socialist" state.
Scun. there are more socialist countries in the world than American-style capitalist ones.
Why the push to take away our capitalism. If it offends you, just don't visit. Leave us our offensive capitalistic freedoms. If it is so bad for us, we will figure it out. OK?
An anarcho-socialist? Interesting locution for a utilitarian. Any reading on anarchy would run pretty hard onto the rocks of socialism, but have it your way.
Linear, to me, means you can track the present pretty directly to the past. The NHS was the reaction to the squalid state of UK health care up to its inception. It doesn't mean that the NHS is the only way to handle these matters today.
Would you describe the relationship of individuals in authoritarian states as "reduced"? I would.
You know exactly what I mean if you're fluent in the language and ideas of anarchy.
BTW, Scunner, I value your input too; what I don't value is your amorphous political language, your glibness and inability to sustain the argument without shifting the issues around.
For me, the last word is yours.
Opus #6 - again no offense. Just trying to introduce alternative views is all.
Rhod - it's okay.
Scunnert,
I find it quite interesting you referred to China. Both China and Russia which were communist countries are actually practicing capitalism today.
Teresa - I would argue that neither were ever communist, but that their systems could more accurately be described as asiatic despotism.
However, I was being facetious and actually meant to demonstrate that capitalism can never be "our" capitalism as Opus refers to it. Capital has no country - no loyalty - other than to profit. American communities are being abandoned by capital as more profit can be made in China.
Beware - Third World Status Beckons.
Scun, by embracing one system over another we make it ours.
Simply because Obama was elected, does not mean the majority of Americans want socialism. In fact, I know a number of mommy bloggers who voted for Obama. They protested vehemently prior to the election when I brought up Obama's socialist ideas and his Marxist past. Old news, they said. Listen to his words now, they said.
Guess what approach was more accurate. Judge a man by his deeds, not words. Obama has the most radical left voting record in the history of the senate. More deeds.
Bottom line is, the American Electorate is made of more independent stuff, perhaps, than people left on European shores. Remember, we are children of the fiercely independent folks who abandoned the old ways for the principles of Rugged Individualism.
Your China argument is weak. American socialist punishing taxation is what shoves business out the doors. California is a prime example. If we go back to conservative principles and lower taxes, business will feel more comfortable and jobs will be created.
He makes great points of course, but we also need people at these things who will ask very simple questions that reveal just how evil this takeover is.
Sort of like McCain saing in response to Obama's tax scheme for fixing the esonomy - "The last time we did that Herbet Hoover was in office. I understood it,but none of our liberal voters had a clue what that meant. Therefore, not even in one ear to go out the other.
I hope they have one here. I will take a vacation day, with prepared questions that I will hand out to people and hopefully one of us gets called. I want to put one of these congress critters in a vice and squeeze them til they cry uncle.
Oh yeah! Tell it to this Marine. I done stole it Nicki. Thanks.
Capital is transnational? Of course it is. I guess, depending upon your values, it's employed to exploit or employed to employ.
Opie... Jobs CREATED?? It seems like that topic has been forgotten lately. It's surely gonna be the next tidal wave for the Obama Mob.
Kid, it's sad that you have to hope there will be a Town Hall meeting. The populace should be demanding it.
Sig, take it and run with it!
Nickie, Well, Cincinnati is one of Hannity's stops for freedom concerts. I think they're afraid.
But Yea. Like government is 'for the people'. That's been out the window a while now. They've crossed over and are on a path to revolution.
When they're willing to say there is nothing wrong with people sitting on their ass demanding an equal life as those who work hard, stick a fork in it and take it off the grill.
Wonderful!!!
Now thats the way you get people to look at your porfile.
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